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Underground Railroad Timeline

1790's

1840's

1790's

In 1790, the "father" of the underground railroad Issac Hopper, began to help escaped slaves in Philadelphia.The 1790's are an important time period because it was when the first records of Underground Railroad activity was logged.

In the 1840's, Ripley, Ohio became the most used center of the Underground Railroad. It was at this time that Josiah Henson, who was a fugitive slave himself, founded the Dawn Institute in Ontario. The Dawn Institute taught escaped slaves the skills they would need to live in a free society. When railroads started to become more common in North America, a new code was developed using railway words. Some of the code words envolve 'conductors', 'stations', 'cargo' and 'heaven'.

1870's

1850's

1860's

Levi Coffin is quoted "Our work here is done." On February 3, the Fifteenth Amendment was approved and there was no longer a need for the Underground Railroad.

It was in 1850 that the U.S. Congress established the Fugitive Slave Act. The law insisted that all Americans had to help capture and return slaves when asked by public officials. Surprisingly it actually caused more people help along the railroad. The "father" of the Underground Railroad, Issac T. Hopper, died May 7, 1852, in New York. Throughout the 1850's, the number of escaped slaves in Canada surpassed 20,000. Northerners continue to ignore the Fugitive Slave Act.

1860's

1870's

1850's

1830's

The Civil War began in 1861. The war would have a big impact on slavery in America. Because of the Civil War, the activity of the Underground Railroad slowed as it was safer to follow behind the Union armies. At this time, the majority of southerners no longer owned slaves.

1820's

1820's

1830's

The first long distance route of the Underground Railroad was established, it connected North Carolina to Indianan. This was also the time that false-bottom wagons and secret rooms started to gain popularity by being used to hide fugitive slaves.

The 1830's was a very important decade. It was the time that people started to notice the problems that African Americans had to deal with. William Lloyd Garrison started a newspaper that protested against slavery. Garrison's paper opened the eyes of ignorant Americas to the reality of slavery. Another very important event was the foundation of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. Later in 1839, the New York City Underground helped thousands of fugitive slaves.

1840's

More 1840's

In 1848, Henry "Box" Brown earned his new nickname. Brown escaped from the state of Virgina by shipping himself to Philidelphia. In 1849, Harriet Tubman escapes from her plantation in Maryland. However, that would not be her last time in Maryland as she returns around 12 more times to rescue other slaves.

This is Issac Hopper. As I mentioned before, he is the "father" of the Underground Railroad.

This picture shows the conditions that Henry was taveling in. His box was 3 feet long, 2 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet tall. Brown was in the box for 27 hours straight. The whole time he would have to be almost silent.

False bottom wagons were used usually by conductors to hide fugitives. Levi Coffin was the man who discovered it's potential. The false bottom wagon was an effective strategy because if for some reason someone wanted to check the wagon, they would have no evidence that there were people in it. As you can see in the picture above, people would hide in the lower compartment and logs or straw would be put on top to make it look like a normal wagon.

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